“I’m all scared, now,” I scoffed. “What happens if I don’t? You’ll kill me? I think we’re past that point in the conversation.”
“Unlike you,” he said, slashing at my head, forcing me to duck and roll to avoid the thrust from the second blade, “I have friends, a family. What do you have? A hellhound who will eat you out of house and home?”
“Family? You don’t have family or friends,” I corrected. “Remember? They’re all trying to kill you? You have no one…you’re alone.”
I could feel the anger and confusion roil off him. Button two pressed.
“Which is why I need to eliminate you all,” he said, pressing his attack.
Two blades cut across the air as I fell on my back, avoiding the attack. I kicked out, connecting with his shin. I drew Grim Whisper, and managed to shoot one of the Sorrows out of his hand as he fought for balance.
The wails from the remaining sword began to increase in volume. The blue energy around the blade intensified. Getting cut by that blade looked like a bad idea. He rolled back and into a defensive stance.
He started gesturing.
“I told you, your finger wiggles aren’t going to work against—”
I never finished the sentence. A stone from the collapsed wall slammed into my back, knocking the wind out of my lungs and shoving me forward. I managed to raise Ebonsoul in time to parry a thrust, which placed me in the perfect position to block a right cross with my face.
I spun around and took a few steps back, but Monty pressed his advantage. More stones flew at me. I managed to dodge a few as he surgically cut at me. He wasn’t smiling now. His expression was cold and hard, harder than the stones hitting me.
The now non-glowing Sorrows managed to cut through my shield, but Kali’s curse healed my wounds nearly as fast as he created them.
“I don’t need magic to end you,” Monty said, slicing across my wrist and flinging Ebonsoul to the side. “You’re weak, pathetic, and hopeless.”
I slid back away from him and rolled to my feet. I had one last button to press, and I hated myself for it.
“You didn’t run away from the Golden Circle, be honest,” I jeered, while stepping into the cold lake of energy around me. The ambient energy of the Sanctuary was an explosion of power as I tapped into it. The arctic sensation nearly stole my breath as I aligned with the energy. “Tristan Montague, one-man demolition crew. You destroy everything and everyone you touch. That’s why Roxanne wants nothing to do with you. You’re toxic. Why don’t you surrender to the darkness already, you bloody coward? The world would be better off without you; at the very least, more of it would remain intact.”
Rage transformed his expression, and I saw him make the choice. He would use everything and anything to destroy me in that moment. I extended my hand and willed Ebonsoul into mist as I closed the distance, letting the power in the totem flow freely.
The ring began to glow as Monty raced at me, enraged. If this didn’t work, I was out of options.
Silver mist raced into my hand as I reformed Ebonsoul. Monty had created a nasty-looking black-and-red orb of energy, but it was too late. I was too close. I buried Ebonsoul in his midsection as the golden light from the ring exploded in my hand, enveloping Monty. He released the orb into my chest and launched me across the courtyard.
I slammed head first into the courtyard wall before the golden light around Monty blinded me.
THIRTY
“Is he dead?” I heard a familiar voice say in the distance. “Where’s Farsight? He looks like warm roadkill, that’s for sure.”
“I’m sure he will wish he was dead, once he comes to.”
The second voice was familiar, too.
LD and TK.
“You think that energy surge was Tristan?” LD asked as I opened my eyes and saw his face in my field of vision. “Hey, you’re back. Congratulations on not dying, hombre.”
“The day is still young,” TK said. “Who fired off the beacon?”
“Beacon? What beacon?” I asked, trying to sit up and failing when the ground around me tilted and then flipped. I laid my head on the ground again and closed my eyes. “Stop the ride, I want to get off.”
I opened my eyes again and peeked, hoping I was imagining all of this, and that I was back at the Moscow, waking up from a horrible dream. TK looked down at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Do you intend to fight while lying on your back?” she asked.
“Fight? I just fought Monty.”
She looked over to where Monty lay, unconscious. LD had gone over to him and was gesturing over his body. Light gray runes, almost white, were descending onto Monty’s body.
“That…wasn’t a fight,” TK said, gesturing as golden runes floated over to me. “That was closer to a clash. One that let everyone know where you were.”
“Monty?” I asked, concerned. “Is he…?”
“He’ll be fine, but he won’t be able to deal with Evers in his current condition,” TK said, extending a hand and helping me to my feet. “She is coming.”
“What happened?” I asked, still unsettled. “All I remember is stabbing him with Ebonsoul, and then the ring went off.”
“You pushed him back from the schism; it was more like a very violent shove,” TK said, narrowing her eyes at me. “You, on the other hand, have just stepped into a world of pain. Kali’s mark is all over you.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’d better learn to use whatever newfound abilities you have,” TK answered. “Your count of enemies has just increased…exponentially.”
“Why would I think her mark would help me?”
“Because you were concerned about Tristan,” TK said, almost gently. “But you must always be wary of gifts from gods. There is always a fine print, trust me.”
I nodded.
“Evers,” I said, thinking about the
